15 water gardens open on tour benefiting Humane Society

Oddly enough, David and Helen Simmons got into water gardening by giving their grandchildren some pet goldfish.

"They kept them until they got too large for the fish bowl and they gave them back to me," David Simmons says.

The fish were about 4 to 6 inches long at that point. Rather than just getting a larger bowl or a tank, Simmons decided the best thing to do was to build them a pond.

"I got a small pre-formed pond and built it into my deck and it just kept getting bigger and bigger," Simmons said.

That marked the start of the Simmonses' journey into water gardening about 35 years ago. Today, the couple has 20 to 23 water features at any given time in a garden that has grown to fill their west Springfield backyard.

Their garden — along with 14 others — will be open to the public next weekend as part of the Southwest Missouri Water Garden Association's tour. And this year, pets will benefit from the event. All proceeds will go to the Humane Society of Southwest Missouri.

The association's Linda Siler says teaming up with the Humane Society makes sense.

What draws people to water gardens aren't just the plants and the water, but the animals they attract and the fish that frequently call them home.

This discovery actually transformed O'Quinn's Water Gardens into the business it is today.

When Jerry O'Quinn started the business in 1991, it "was an A to Z nursery," says Siler, the nursery's manager. "We had a couple of ponds and … people are naturally attracted to water. They'd go look at the fish and then go look for a tree."

After taking note of that, "we just tore everything out and started doing water gardening full time since 1993," Siler says.

"Back when we got started, people thought we were crazy," she says.

Perhaps, but the notion caught on in a big way. The Southwest Missouri Water Garden Association, founded four years ago, boasts 200 members.

"Basically, it's just a group of people who came together and wanted to build a social network, if you will, on water gardening, trading experiences and sharing knowledge. It's more of a bonding, networking club," Siler says.

Siler says the group decided to help the Humane Society simply because it made sense. "Our deal with the Humane Society is the fact that most people have a cat or a dog and are madly in love with their pets. … A lot of times, the proceeds go back to the different garden clubs," Siler says, noting there's nothing wrong with that given the community outreach the clubs do.

"We want to share our money with people that may not have the luxury of having nice-size bank accounts," she says.

Karenanne Fitzsimmons, president of the Humane Society of Southwest Missouri's board, says she couldn't have been happier with the association's decision.

"The water garden tour is something I enjoy almost every year I can go to it," Fitzsimmons says. "It's a major event for my summer that I look forward to every year."

She points out that the Humane Society can use all the help it can get. It is entirely funded by donations. Executive Director Darin Landrum says the Humane Society helps between 5,000 and 6,000 animals a year.

"We have not had to put down a dog for space in over a year and a half, and that is huge — huge!" Fitzsimmons says. "We think there are a lot of really great things going on at the Humane Society, so when we have an event like this, it's wonderful."

Fitzsimmons says even if the money raised by the garden tour isn't huge, the publicity is bound to help.

"It's about public awareness, just to let people know that we're here and get us on the forefront of their mind: If we're wanting to adopt a pet, let's go to the Humane Society and look at the great dogs and the great cats," she says.

Siler says she hopes the event not only results in raising money but in finding homes for animals at the shelter.

"We hope we have a good turnout and give the Humane Society some money. And maybe somebody will go out and adopt a pet," she says.

If you're looking to populate a water garden with aquatic pets, Simmons has advice: "Start out with goldfish if you're going to have ponds and then after a year or so advance to koi because the (goldfish) are much easier to take care of."

Want to go?

• What: The Southwest Missouri Water Garden Association's garden tour of 15 area private water gardens to benefit the Humane Society of Southwest Missouri.

• When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. July 12 and July 13. Note: Not all gardens will be available for viewing both days. Please check tickets for details.

• Cost: $5 for both days; free for children 10 and younger and veterans. Tickets are available at O'Quinn's Water Gardens, Wickman's Garden Village, Family Flowers in Ozark and Greene Gallery in Ozark.

• Info: Call 417-883-2399 or email 63linda@crawler.com.

How to help

If you can't attend the tour, there are plenty of ways to help the Humane Society of Southwest Missouri. Money, of course, is always needed. Checks can be mailed to 3161 W. Norton Road, Springfield MO 65803. But there are other ways to help. Here are a few items from the Humane Society's wish list. You can find the complete list at www.swh.org.